I woke up in the middle of the night to rustling outside mine and Daryl's tent. I know it isn't Daryl. He's snoring right next to me. Luke stayed in the house so Zach couldn't get him. I got up, grabbing my knife and praying it was a walker. I unzipped the tent just enough for me to slip through, the cold air nipping at my bare legs, Daryl's shirt barely able to keep me warm. I stood up when I was outside, trying to see through the darkness. "Hello?" I called out.
"Hello, Charlotte." A voice said from behind me, shivers crawling up my spine. I spun around, holding my knife in a defensive position. He chuckled. "You can't kill me. You don't have the guts. So, here's what I'm gonna do. I am going to show you first hand what happens when a whore like you is disobedient. You should run. It's more fun that way."
So I did. I ran towards the house as fast as my legs could carry me. But it wasn't fast enough. His loud footsteps got louder each second as he gained on me.
Then I made the horrible mistake of looking back. As soon as I did, he tackled me to the ground. I struggled against his strong grip, I tried to scream, I tried grabbing for my knife, which was just out of reach. But he had me pinned. One hand holding my hands above my head, one hand around my throat, squeezing tightly. He smiled at me. My face turned red as I struggled for air. "Now, I'm gonna let go of your throat. If you scream, I will not hesitate in killing you. Got that?" I gave a frantic nod and he removed his hand. I gasped for air as he pulled out his own knife, pressing it against my cheek.
He sighed. "You know, I've waited so long to be able to do this to you." He dragged the knife across my skin, the warm blood sliding across my cheek. I whimpered. "I wasn't able to do this to Luke too often. Hershel wouldn't like seeing the back of Luke's shirt caked in blood. But you're good at hiding it. You're too scared to tell anyone." He pressed the knife against my chest, dragging it across.
I managed a small chuckle, hiding how terrified I actually am. "A lot has changed since then, Zach." This earned me a smack across the face.
He stabbed his knife through one of my hands and quickly covered my mouth as I screamed in pain. "You don't speak unless given permission, whore." He growled. He removed his knife, about to resume torturing me. I lifted my knee, nailing him in the groin. I pushed him off of me and screamed for Daryl, Rick, anyone to help me. I grabbed my knife and stood in a defensive position, blood had soaked my hand, now trailing up my arm. Someone had to have heard me. Zach stood up, chuckling. "You're more brave than I remember." He said, wiping my blood off his knife.
He charged at me and before I even knew what I was doing, I dodged his blade and jammed my knife right through his eye. No hesitation. He collapsed and I fell with him, too shocked to let go. When I did, I backed away from his body, staring at my now blood soaked hands with both my own and his. I screamed, covering my mouth, the blood smearing on my face. There were pounding footsteps.
Daryl came first, pulling me into his arms. Then I saw Rick and the others, shocked looks on their faces. I started shaking my head. "I...I didn't know what to do. He would...He would have killed me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I whimpered, hanging onto Daryl for dear life...
~*~
Back at our tent once Hershel stitched up my hand, Daryl cleaned me up with a wet washcloth and a bucket of water. It was everywhere. My chest, my face, my arms. I had to strip down to nothing. I sat in a trance on the cot as Daryl gently washed the blood off. "There was...there was so much blood. I didn't know there would be...so much, just...gushing. Oh, god...I killed him Daryl. What...what the hell is wrong with me?"
Daryl dropped the cloth into the pink water. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You did what you had to. He woulda killed you. You were protecting yourself, protecting your kid. You did what you had to."
~*~
I woke up the next morning feeling nothing but guilt. I know I shouldn't feel bad. He was a rapist piece of shit. Still, his blood is on my hands. Literally and figuratively. I got up and brushed my hair, pulled on a pair of jeans and my boots and left the tent. Instantly, everybodies eyes were on me. Some looked scared, some looked concerned. Then someone wrapped their arms around my waist. I looked down to see Luke staring up at me with a smile on his face. I crouched down to his level. "You killed daddy. This way he can't ever hurt you again, mama." He said, smiling.
I frowned at him and felt a pain in the pit of my stomach. Guilt. Even more guilt. Luke thinks it's okay that I killed Zach. I sighed and smiled sadly at him. "Why don't you go help Glenn keep watch? Mama's busy right now." He nodded and ran to the R.V. and climbed up the ladder. I rubbed my face with my hands. "This sucks..." I mumbled.
"Morning, guys. Let's get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover." Rick said as him and Shane walked by everyone.
I felt a hand on my lower back. "You okay?" Daryl asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. I smiled at him and we walked over to the hood of Carol's Cherokee. Daryl put on a shirt and wrapped an arm around my waist. I leaned into him slightly, still getting used to him showing affection in front of others.
Rick laid out a map. "All right, everyone's getting new search grids today. If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far."
"I'd like to help." A voice said, catching our attention. Jimmy, Beth's boyfriend, stood there awkwardly with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "I know the area pretty well and stuff."
Rick furrowed his brows. "Hershel's okay with this?" He asked.
Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, yeah. He said I should ask you.
Rick nodded. "All right then. Thanks."
"Nothing about what Daryl found screams Sophia to me. Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse." Shane shook his head.
I raised my brows. "Anybody includes her, right?" I asked.
Daryl stuck out a hand about waist high. "Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay-high."
"It's a good lead." Andrea agreed.
"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again." Rick said.
Daryl shook his head, pointing at a spot on the map. "No maybe about it. I'm gonna borrow a horse, head up to this ridge right here, take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there, I'll spot her."
T-dog nodded. "Good idea. Maybe you'll see your Chupacabra up there too." I chuckled.
"Chupacabra?" Rick asked.
"You never heard this? First night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of a time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a Chupacabra." Dale laughed.
Jimmy breathed a laugh. "What are you braying at, jackass?" Daryl asked him.
"You believe in a blood-sucking dog?" Rick asked.
Daryl shrugged. "Do you believe in dead people walking around?"
Rick didn't have time to respond because Jimmy reached out to grab the shotgun that sat in front of him. "Hey, hey. Ever fire one before?" Rick asked him.
Jimmy shrugged. "Well, if I'm going out, I want one."
Daryl scoffed and slung his crossbow over his shoulder, grabbing my hand. "Yeah, and people in Hell want slurpees." I laughed lightly as he dragged me away from the group, heading towards the stables.
"Can I come with you?" I asked when we got inside and he grabbed a saddle.
He shook his head. "No, I need to know you're safe. Like I said before, you're a magnet to trouble." He set the saddle down and came over, resting his hands on my hips. I winced. "What's wrong?" He asked.
I shook my head. "Just rope burn." I mumbled. He would have found out eventually.
"Why do you have rope burn on your waist?" He asked, lifting my shirt up slightly to look at it. I blushed as his warm calloused fingers ran across my bare skin.
I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head. "Um...the, uh, well walker I told you about... We needed live bait and I was the smallest...so..." I bit my lip, awaiting his response.
"They used you as bait?!" He yelled, trying to walk passed me to probably go break Shane or Glenn's nose.
I put a hand on his chest, stopping him. "I'm fine, though. Nothing happened." That's a huge lie.
He hesitated before nodding and he continued saddling the horse. "I didn't know you owned sleeves." I joked.
Daryl chuckled. "Do you prefer me without them?" He asked.
I nodded. "Definitely."
He finished with the horse and walked over to me, grabbed my waist and pulled me against him. "Maybe when I get back, you can fix that." He smirked, pecked me on the lips, got on the horse and he was gone, leaving me standing there with my jaw on the ground...
~*~*~*~
I sat next to Luke, who was enjoying a coloring book Dale gave him, sharpening my knives. Lori walked up and smiled at me. "Carol, Andrea and I are making dinner for Hershel and his family, wanna help?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Sure, just let me get someone to watch Luke." She nodded. I looked around until I saw Glenn. "Hey Glenn, can you keep an eye on Luke for a while?" I asked. He nodded hesitantly. I smiled. "Don't worry, he won't be any trouble." Lori and I walked to the house.
When we got inside, the wonderful smell of food cooking filled my nose. "I haven't smelled anything like this in forever." I commented, standing next to Carol at the kitchen counter.
She smiled at me. "Hey there. Mind peeling some potatoes?" She asked. I shook my head and picked up a potato and a peeler.
I stood there silently, peeling potatoes for a good ten minutes before Lori spoke up. She cleared her throat. "So, you and Daryl, huh?" She asked.
I tensed up and felt the heat rushing to my face. I lowered my head, hiding my face with my hair. They all laughed. "It's about time. I was starting to get sick of seeing you two staring at each other when the other isn't looking. It was made obvious you two were together last night when..." Lori stopped herself when she saw me freeze, my knuckles turning white around the peeler. She knew she had struck a nerve. "Charlotte, I didn't mean to-"
"Its fine." I cut her off. "Forget about it. I...I'm gonna go outside."
I set down the potato and peeler and rushed outside, running my hands through my hair. I need to distract myself. "Walker. Walker!" Andrea yelled from on top of the R.V. Perfect. I grabbed one of my guns and turned the safety off.
"Just the one?" Rick asked Andrea as I walked over, falling into step beside him.
She picked up the binoculars and looked through them briefly before setting them back down and reaching for the rifle. "I bet I can nail in from here." She said.
"No no, Andrea. Put the gun down." Rick ordered.
"You'd best let us handle this." Shane said, glaring at me briefly.
I scoffed. "Hell no. I am not staying here. So don't even bother asking."
Rick put up a hand. "Shane, hold up. Hershel wants to deal with walkers."
"What for man? We got it covered." Shane said without any intention of slowing down.
I followed after him, Rick running to catch up with us. Shane, Rick, Glenn, T-dog and I ran through the field, getting closer to the walker. We stopped in front of it and Rick pointed his colt at it. Then it lifted its head. I gasped and lowered my gun, feeling my chest tighten and tears threaten to spill. "Oh my God...no..." I whimpered.
"Is that Daryl?" Glenn asked.
He limped forward, staring at Rick. "That's the third time you've pointed that thing at my head. You gonna pull the trigger or what?" I sighed in relief and smiled, walking towards him.
There was a bang and Daryl fell to the ground. "NO!" I yelled, rushing to his side. It only grazed him. I breathed another sigh of relief as Rick and Shane came over, picking him up. "I was kidding." Daryl mumbled before passing out.
I watched as Andrea and Dale ran out to us. "Oh my God. Oh my God, is he dead?" Andrea asked.
I dropped my gun and stormed forward, grabbing her wrist. "No, but you are!" I yelled, twisting her wrist, about to pull out a knife. She whimpered in pain.
"Glenn, grab her!" Rick ordered. Glenn came over and grabbed my arms, holding them behind my back. Dale grabbed my gun.
"Let me go!" I yelled at the surprisingly strong Asian man.
"Guys! Isn't this Sophia's?" Glenn turned to see T-Dog holding up her doll.
~*~*~*~
"I found it washed up on that creek bed right there." Daryl explained as Hershel stitched up his side. "She must have dropped it crossing there somewhere."
"Cuts the grid almost in half." Rick said.
Daryl looked at his side. "Yeah, you're welcome." He said.
Rick didn't respond, he simply looked up at Hershel. "How's he looking?" He asked.
Hershel sighed, grabbing a clamp. "I had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics so quickly. Any idea what happened to my horse?" He asked Daryl.
Daryl scoffed. "Yeah, the one who almost killed me? If it's smart, it left the country."
"We call that one Nelly, as in Nervous Nelly. I could have told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask." Hershel explained, giving Daryl a stern look. He then walked over to Rick. "It's a wonder you people have survived this long." Rick nodded slightly and left with Shane.
I put my head in my hands and sighed. I felt a hand on my wrist and looked up to see Daryl staring at me. I smiled and grabbed his rough hand, kissing the back of it. "You scared the hell out of me." I said.
He chuckled. "Yeah, you almost killed Andrea."
I nodded. "When she came running out, all I saw was red. I would have if Glenn didn't grab me." I sighed. "Then there would be one more persons blood on my hands."
Daryl scoffed. "He's lucky I didn't get to him first."
There was a knock on the door. "Mama? Mama, are you in there? Can I come in?" Luke's small voice asked. I glanced up at Hershel and he simply nodded.
"Come on in, Lucas." I called. He came in and ran over to me, jumping onto my lap. "Hey, baby." I said, brushing some of his brown locks out of his eyes.
"Why did you hurt that woman?" He asked.
I sighed. "Andrea hurt Daryl. I wasn't too happy about that." Just the thought of Daryl dying put a bad feeling in my stomach.
He got close to my ear. "Is he you're boyfriend?" He asked, whispering terribly.
I felt Daryl's gaze on me. I smiled. "Yes, he is my boyfriend."
Luke smiled at me. "Does that mean he's my new daddy?"
~*~*~*~
I lay in bed with Daryl with his arms around me, a lock of my hair curled around his finger. "I'm sorry about Luke." I said.
Daryl shrugged. "It's fine. He's just a kid."
I sighed and closed my eyes. "You should eat." He mumbled. I opened my eyes and looked at him. "I don't remember the last time I saw you eat anything. Here." He grabbed a roll of bread from the tray of food that Carol brought not too long ago.
I pushed his hand away, sitting up. "I'm fine."
He scoffed, pulling himself up. "I told you not to lie to me." He growled.
I shook my head. "I'm not."
Suddenly, I felt his hands brush my hips as he yanked my shirt over my head. I gasped and stood up, trying to cover myself. "Daryl Dixon, give me my shirt!" I half-yelled.
He shook his head. "Look at yourself! You're nothing but skin and bones." I moved my arms and looked down at myself. He was right. My hip bones and ribs were far too prominent. I turned my head, looking at my back. My spine was also poking out more than it should be. I sighed. "Here." He threw me my shirt and I put it on, sitting in the chair next to his bed. He handed me the roll and I ate it slowly, savoring the taste.
"Don't do that to yourself, Charlie."